Three-dimensional charts may be a little more eye-catching and dynamic than their 2-D counterparts (it's an Avatar world, baby), but data visualization blogger Stubborn Mule explains why you should consider junking 3-D charts, or at least why you shouldn't trust pyramid charts.

The author points out how people (and publications, for that matter) often incorrectly employ pyramid charts to produce an inaccurate representation of the information, focusing in on this chart and why its use of the pyramid chart misses the mark:

The problem is that the data is represented by the height of each segment of the pyramid, but we tend to perceive the apparent volume of each layer. As a result, the layers near the top appear much smaller [than] they should relative to the lower layers.

The author goes even further, suggesting casual charters drop not just the pyramid chart, but 3-D charts altogether:

I would argue that everything below "2-D Column" [in Excel] should be banned from the arsenal of the thinking chart-user. These variants on three-dimensional graphics all represent the trap "chart junk": fancy extra details that, at best, add nothing to the information being conveyed and, at worst, result in distortion.

It's a good piece of advice to keep in mind next time you're putting together or consuming a chart. How about you, data visualizers and chart junkies? Let's hear whether or not you share the disdain for 3-D charting in the comments.